


We Had Some Good Times, Didn't We?

by justyrae



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Blow Jobs, Canon Compliant, Exhibitionism, Hand Jobs, M/M, Semi-Public Sex, the brits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 06:09:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6107523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justyrae/pseuds/justyrae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam takes Louis to the BRITs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Had Some Good Times, Didn't We?

**Author's Note:**

> basically, Lilo went to the BRITs and my head exploded.
> 
> this is more or less canon, meaning Freddie exists and for the most part the actual BRITs timeline stays the same. I did move a few things around to better suit the ideas I had, but this is still mostly true (apart from the fact that it's hilariously untrue).
> 
> big thanks to my beta J and everybody else I messaged (both on and off tumblr) about this fic and all the nonsense from yesterday.
> 
> title from "Walking In The Wind" by One Direction

Louis is a bundle of nerves, no matter how many times he's tried to convince himself that he's not. He's been nervous a lot as of late, especially with spending so much time with Freddie and all the panic that comes with being a new parent, but he hasn't felt nerves like this in a while.

It's a big thing, the BRITs. The last time he was at the BRITs was with all four of his boys and it feels like a lifetime ago. Going from five to four and now just to him and Liam tonight because of the break, it's doing a number on Louis' psyche. Add in the worries of leaving Freddie back in the States and well, Louis is a bit of a wreck.

Being all alone while he's getting ready when Liam was supposed to meet him at least half an hour ago isn't helping matters either.

"Would you  _ stop _ fidgeting?" Lou snaps, flicking Louis' shoulder. "You haven't been this bad in years, what's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," he says as he grabs his phone and checks his messages for the hundredth time, only to find nothing new at all. He's considering stealing Lou's phone to call Liam, thinking maybe he'll answer then. Louis can't help but wonder whether Liam is still punishing him for missing his forty-nine calls the week before.

He finds himself opening up Instagram and scrolling through his feed until he comes across Liam's post from earlier, tilting his phone so his screen is hidden while Lou continues fussing with his hair. It's a terrible idea, in retrospect, because all it does is make Louis' heart start beating faster and his throat goes a bit dry.

It's downright pornographic, honestly. Drop his trackies a few inches lower and they would've had another mess entirely on their hands.

Louis closes his eyes, cursing himself for his choice of words even inside his own head. He clicks his screen off and takes a deep breath, doing his absolute best not to get hard thinking about what's underneath Liam's trackies.

When he's calmed down, he starts to turn around and ask Lou to call Liam herself when the door opens and in walks Liam, already dressed in his suit and looking absolutely fantastic. Louis' breath catches momentarily when Liam smiles at him with a fond look in his eyes as he closes the door behind him. It's such a vast change from the photo Louis was just looking at that it's enough to make his head spin, not to mention it's certainly not helping his earlier issue of trying not to get hard.

"Louis," he says with a shake of his head, "you're not even ready yet!"

"He's been fidgeting," Lou says, ratting Louis out without even giving him a chance to explain himself.

"What!" Louis squawks. "He's the one who's late!"

"But I'm all ready to go!" Liam replies, unable to hold back his smile. "You're going to make us late!"

Louis rolls his eyes and lets Lou manhandle him back into place to finish his hair. He catches Liam's eye in the mirror and sticks out his tongue at him. Liam shakes his head again but his fond smile never falters and a warm feeling blooms in the pit of Louis' stomach. He has to look away from Liam before it gets any worse and he does something about it with Lou still in the room.

*

The ride over to the O2 is mostly silent for Louis, watching the traffic go by in the city he's always loved but for some reason it feels less like home than normal. Liam's chatting with Paddy like he always does but his hand is curled around Louis', giving him an anchor that he didn't know he needed.

Somehow the time they spent in LA just days ago already feels like a lifetime away, this trip back for the BRITs popping the bubble that Louis had tried so hard to keep safe.

"I can't believe how tiny he is," Liam had said the first time he'd held Freddie.

"Right?" Louis chuckled. "Feels like I'm gonna break him every time I even look at him."

"Nah, he's tough." Liam smiled down at Freddie. "Aren't you, love? Tough just like your dad."

Freddie gurgled in response and Liam absolutely lit up at the sight, he turned to Louis with the biggest grin on his face that Louis had ever seen and he'd felt positive that his heart would never feel so full as it did in that moment; that nothing would ever top that.

He watched as Liam carefully set Freddie down in his bassinet and turned back to Louis with a soft smile before he'd wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. Louis immediately returned the hug, squeezing Liam so tight that it had to have hurt but he was  _ there _ and Louis had missed him so much that he hadn't known what else to do.

"I'm so proud of you," Liam had whispered. "You're doing so well, Freddie's brilliant."

"Thanks," Louis replied in a choked voice as he buried his face in Liam's neck. "Fuck, I missed you."

"Language," Liam whispered as he pinched Louis' side, "there's a kid in the room, Tommo."

"Yeah," Louis said as he pulled back in Liam's arms and sniffled as he laughed, "I'm looking at him."

Liam narrowed his eyes at Louis but even he couldn't hold back a smile. "Missed you too, you arse."

"Language," Louis murmured, smiling as he pressed a kiss to Liam's lips.

The car slowly comes to a stop and Louis realizes that he's zoned out for the last five minutes while looking at one of the hundred or so pictures he took of Liam with Freddie. Liam had to physically take his phone away from him at one point, just to get him to stop taking pictures. It may have given Liam endless ammunition to make fun of Louis for the rest of their lives, but it also meant that Louis had hundreds of memories that were his alone to cherish forever.

"You ready?" Liam asks softly when they're just about to open the door. Louis looks at him and nods as he slips his phone into his jacket, but he knows from the look on Liam's face that he's a little worried about him. Liam lifts their hands to press a kiss to the back of Louis' and it's enough to provoke a laugh from him, bring a smile to his face.

"Now you're going to make us late," Louis mumbles, pushing at Liam's thigh to get him out of the car with their hands still intertwined.

"I think we're right on time," Liam murmurs in return as he opens the door, revealing hundreds of bright lights and they're met with ear-piercing screams.

It's familiar in a way, and Louis' nerves start to melt away. He may prefer performing to attending award ceremonies, but the thrill of seeing their fans is something he's missed even after just a few weeks. Not having Niall or Harry by his side as well is a bit strange, all the more real now that he's actually  _ there _ , but if he'd had to choose he knows he would always pick Liam.

It's easy to fall into their old habits, the usual shenanigans that get them in trouble so much of the time. It's a little surreal having all eyes on just the two of them and somehow that makes Liam a little more handsy than he has been in the past. He's always suspected that Liam has an exhibition kink, no matter how many times he denies it.

Louis supposes he should've expected Liam to go for a cheeky grab in front of all the cameras, perhaps in retaliation for all the times he's done it to Liam, but when he sees the glint in Liam's eyes afterwards he wonders if this is all part of some plan that he's unaware of. He catches Liam by the elbow before they move on to whatever interview or photo session they've got next, giving him just enough time to whisper in his ear.

"Keep it up and you'll get what's coming to you." He smiles wickedly at Liam when their eyes meet and Liam raises his eyebrows in return.

"That a threat or a promise?" he replies in a whisper close to Louis' ear, and Louis' smile only grows bigger. He's taught Liam so well.

The red carpet is a bit of a haze; filled with similar questions from every interviewer they chat with about the break and his newfound fatherhood, making Louis miss Freddie even more than he did before. He's so thankful to have Liam at his side to help guide their answers because otherwise it's possible Louis would just talk about Freddie the whole night and miss the awards entirely.

Louis finds it hard not to keep at least one hand on Liam at all times, if only for a sense of being grounded in all the chaos. Liam doesn't mind, he never has, and he lights up every time Louis turns to look at him.

"I am a daddy now, yeah," he says during one interview, looking at Liam halfway through and feeling so unbelievably lucky to have Liam smiling back at him like he's the most precious thing in the world.

He might've always known it deep down, but it's then that Louis realizes that there's absolutely no way he could've done this without Liam. He feels a rush of overwhelming feelings and his mind is suddenly blank so he's thankful that the interviewer asks another question to give him a fresh start.

After that particular interview Louis' mind starts to wander every time he looks at Liam, getting lost in memories of not only the week before but the last six years. Sometimes he finds it hard to reconcile the man Liam's become with the boy he met on X-Factor, but they've both grown so much that sometimes Louis finds it hard to recognize himself when he looks in the mirror.

As much as he tries to focus during interviews and stop looking at Liam every twenty seconds or so, his eyes continue to be drawn to Liam's smile or how his eyes twinkle when he laughs and he fights a losing battle every single time.

He's relieved to get off the red carpet and have a bit of alone time with Liam before they go into the main room and are in front of cameras again, even if it's only for twenty minutes or so. Louis grabs a Red Bull, having decided early on that he wasn't going to drink very much if at all that night, even if the beers set to chill in the bin next to the Red Bull look far more inviting.

Liam sidles up next to him, putting one hand on the small of Louis' back while grabbing a beer with the other and smiling when Louis looks at him with one eyebrow raised.

"What?" he asks, laughing like Louis is hiding something.

"Nothing," Louis replies as he shakes his head. "Gonna have a repeat of last time we were at the BRITs, then?"

"Shut up," Liam mutters fondly, knocking his hip against Louis' as his hand slips to curl around Louis' hip. He squeezes it lightly and Louis steps closer, falling into Liam like he's done so many times before. "Good to be back though, innit?" Liam whispers softly.

"Yeah," Louis agrees with a soft laugh as he digs around in his pocket for his phone. "Reckon we should take a selfie, make Niall jealous?"

"The same Niall who's probably off on a beach somewhere instead of freezing his bits off here in London?" Liam laughs. "Yeah, sure."

Liam waits til after Louis' taken the photo to pinch his bum, laughing through the pain when Louis elbows him in the chest. Louis shakes his head and refuses to look at Liam while he posts it to Instagram and sends it to Niall as well with a message that reads  _ you're missing out! _

"Not gonna send it to Harry too?" Liam asks and Louis rolls his eyes.

"Harry's in the bloody country, he'd have come if he wanted to."

"Thought he might," Liam says with a soft hum as he hooks his chin over Louis' shoulder, "seeing as how he's used to being a third wheel and all."

Louis rolls his eyes again, glancing around the room quickly before he turns his head and pecks Liam on the lips. Liam smiles widely and puckers his lips, silently asking for another and Louis laughs.

"You're ridiculous."

"You love it." Liam kisses Louis' blushing cheek and hums again. "Proud of you."

"You've said that," Louis says, about to roll his eyes for a third time when Liam wraps both arms around him tightly and Louis' heart swells.

"Meant it."

*

It's absolutely surreal to Louis that he and Liam were actually asked to present one of the awards that night. Something about taking the stage for anything other than performing or a short acceptance speech makes Louis ridiculously nervous. He considers grabbing a beer and downing it before they go onstage for a little liquid courage, but he thinks better of it just in case his body decides to make him vomit.

Liam's pleasantly buzzed already, a little giddier than usual but professional as they take their places to present the award for Best Female Artist. To be honest, it all passes in a blur and suddenly Adele's taking the stage and Louis can't even believe that this is his real life.

He's a bit shaky when he gets off the stage with Liam right behind him, his steady hand ever present on Louis' back to ground him in reality. Before Louis can start to lead them back to their table Liam pulls him in another direction and before Louis knows what's going on they're backstage again.

"Liam, what're you doing?"

Liam turns around and takes Louis' head in his hands, gently rubbing his thumbs against Louis' cheeks in a comforting manner that immediately relaxes him. He smiles as Louis lets out a long breath, his nerves starting to subside now that it's just the two of them.

"You've got to calm down, Tommo."

"I'm alright, Li."

"You've been on edge all night," Liam says with a frown. "Don't think I haven't noticed."

"It's just… a lot," he admits with a sigh, "I know it hasn't been that long since we've done something like this, but…"

"It's different," Liam adds quietly. "You miss Freddie, you big softie."

Louis laughs as Liam rubs their noses together, ducking down afterwards to press a quick kiss to his lips. Louis can't help the soft whimper that slips out and he curls his fingers around the lapels of Liam's jacket and holds on tight.

"Didn't think," Louis breathes out when Liam pulls away, "didn't think I'd miss him this much."

"Of course you do," Liam says, tilting his head forward so his forehead rests against Louis'. "Remember when I said you'd be an amazing dad? Way back when?"

"Maybe," Louis mumbles.

"I did, and you are. You're an amazing dad, and an incredible son, a fantastic friend, and the best boyfriend I could ever ask for."

"Liam," Louis whines, "shut up, you're making me blush."

"It's true," Liam insists, "I'll prove it to you."

"Oh, will you?" Louis challenges. Liam pulls away so he can look Louis straight in the eye and it's then that Louis sees a cheeky grin spread across Liam's face. "What're you up to, Liam?"

"Nothing," Liam replies while the sparkle in his eyes tells a completely different story. "Just thought maybe you could use a wee break."

Louis narrows his eyes at Liam, poised to ask just what the hell Liam thinks he's doing, but Liam's hands suddenly drop to Louis' wrist and start pulling him in the direction of the loos. It's mostly empty in the halls where they are, thankfully, but Louis still tries to keep his voice down as he tries to get Liam to tell him what's going on.

"Liam, I don't have to--" Louis starts to say after Liam's pulled him inside, but when he drops to his knees it all makes sense. "Fuck," he breathes out as Liam's hands go to his belt and quickly start undoing the buckle.

"Relax," Liam whispers, "we've got ages until the first award we're up for."

Louis bites his lip and whimpers as his trousers drop around his ankles and Liam pulls his cock out of his pants, already stroking it to get Louis hard. It doesn't take long at all, seeing Liam on his knees for him always gets Louis impossibly hard even after the number of times he's seen it happen.

"Shit,  _ Liam _ ," he moans when Liam takes the head of his cock into his mouth, and Louis is forced to bite down on his own fist to keep himself from making too much noise.

Liam doesn't answer apart from a low hum as he sucks, taking all of Louis' cock into his mouth until it hits the back of his throat. Louis' knees are weak already, if not for Liam's hand on his hip he'd collapse for sure. He puts his free hand on top of Liam's and squeezes, grunting into his fist when Liam presses his fingers down hard into the skin of his hip.

It's not long before Louis' fist drops away from his mouth and he's gasping Liam's name as he comes, his hips jerking as he rides it out with Liam's mouth still wrapped around him. They're both breathing hard when Liam gets to his feet, and Louis immediately grabs him and pulls him in for a deep kiss.

"I knew it," he murmurs against Liam's lips as he smirks.

"Knew what?" Liam answers breathlessly.

"Knew you loved getting off in public."

Liam groans softly as he pushes his hips against Louis, letting him feel the line of his cock tucked in his trousers. "Haven't gotten off yet, have I?"

"Think I can help with that," Louis says with a grin as he slips his hand down to Liam's belt, undoing it as quickly as he can with just one hand so he can get to Liam's cock.

Louis doesn't let Liam go too far, keeping their lips firmly attached as he wanks him, swallowing each and every one of Liam's moans. He knows Liam well enough by now to know exactly how to get him off quickly, especially easy when he's already so worked up.

Liam grunts against Louis' mouth and then pulls away to gasp for breath when he comes into Louis' hand, resting his head on Louis' shoulder as he shivers through the aftershocks. Louis slips his hand out of Liam's trousers and under his dress shirt, skirting his fingers across Liam's abs even though (or perhaps especially because) they're covered in Liam's come.

"Louis," Liam groans, "don't do that."

"What," Louis says with a snide grin, "upset that now you can't show off your abs to everyone in the world?" He chuckles. "Or would you anyway and let them see what I've done to you?"

"And start an international sex scandal?" Liam laughs softly. "I'd rather not."

"Good," Louis says as he kisses Liam's cheek. " _ These _ abs are all mine."

*

When they return to their table, Louis is overwhelmingly grateful for two things: one, nobody seemed to notice they were gone for a bit longer than they should've been, and two, he  _ is _ far more relaxed than before. He sneaks a glance at Liam on the other side of the table, although he's caught almost immediately and Liam smiles warmly at him. Under the table, Liam reaches out with his foot and knocks it against Louis', making Louis smile warmly back at him and feel all mushy inside.

Somehow it's still a shock when they win the award for Best British Video, but what isn't a surprise at all is how Liam immediately turns to him and they share a hug that nearly knocks them both to the ground.

It may have only lasted a few seconds, but Louis felt more at home in Liam's arms in those few seconds than he had nearly all night.

Still, it was a little sad accepting the award without Niall and Harry with them.

"I'm keeping theirs," Louis says as he and Liam make their way out of the arena, heading for more interviews before they're allowed to leave the premises. "They didn't show up, it's only fair."

"Just as long as you don't give one to Freddie til he's at least one," Liam says, "don't want him trying to stick it in his mouth or something."

"Fine," Louis huffs, although he's already planning on sticking one in Freddie's crib if only to take a picture and send to Harry as revenge for not coming to the BRITs at all.

Now that the night is almost over, Louis can't wait to get back to LA and tell Freddie all about the BRITs, even though with him being barely a month old he won't understand or remember any of it. Louis just has this need to include Freddie in everything, whether he needs to be or not is an entirely different story.

When he's asked about missing Freddie in one of their last interviews of the night, Louis goes a bit mushy.

"I'm gonna fly home and see him tomorrow, which will be nice."

"You've got me to cuddle," Liam replies, "it's fine."

Warmth blooms in Louis' heart as Liam smiles at him, because it's absolutely true. Louis waits until they've finished their interviews and are alone in a car before he tucks himself under Liam's arm, cashing in on the promised cuddles already.

"Gonna cuddle me all the way back to LA, are you?" he asks as Liam kisses his temple.

"If you'd like me to, I will."

"Of course I do," Louis scoffs, "don't be stupid."

"Shut up," Liam replies, tucking his hand under Louis' chin to turn his face towards his own so they can kiss properly. Louis smiles against Liam's lips before he reaches up to twist his nipple, grinning wickedly when Liam slaps his hand.

Some things never change.

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://imlouisaf.tumblr.com)


End file.
